American Flag Taco Dip (Made From Scratch)
My heavens, this American flag taco dip is addictive! It’s a cold, savory, refreshing dip that’s simple to whip up completely from scratch, right down to the salsa. This dip is perfect for celebrating Memorial Day, the 4th of July, Labor Day, and any summer day in between. I hope you love it just as much as we do! This recipe post includes a video tutorial so you can make it alongside me, step-by-step!
This post may contain affiliate links of items I know and love. Read our disclosure policy for more information. I NEVER use AI (artificial intelligence) to create content for Plum Branch Home. Recipes, blog posts, photos, videos, podcasts, social media content: everything is made from scratch by me, Molly LaFontaine. After developing my recipes, they’re tested 2x by my husband, Tyler, and I before publishing. What you see from Plum Branch Home is real. It’s made for a reason, tested, and loved!
This recipe has become my husband and I’s favorite summer lunch! It’s easy to make, refreshing, and absolutely delicious! I think I could eat it every day this summer without getting tired of it!
If you’re looking for more summer recipes, perfect for the 4th of July, be sure to try my sourdough mini fruit pizzas, southern peach sweet tea, grilled chicken bites with creamy garlic sauce, and my grilled bbq chicken flatbread pizza recipes. They’ll make Independence Day extra tasty!
An Easy American Flag Taco Dip
When the weather is hot and the sun is shining, we all crave a quick and easy recipe. That’s where this American flag taco dip comes in!
It’s simple to whip up even though it’s made completely from scratch. The best part is you can make it the day before for a hands-off meal or snack the next day!
Why You’ll Love This Flag Dip Recipe
- Served Cold: This dip is served cold for a refreshing appetizer or meal!
- Wholesome Ingredients: Each ingredient is wholesome, so you don’t have to worry about nasty additives (besides the tortilla chips, but you can choose a wholesome option!)
- Made From Scratch: This dip is made from scratch down to the salsa.
- Easy to Whip Up: You can whip this dip up in just a few minutes!
- Perfect for Hot Summer Days: When it’s hot, this dip allows you the freedom to not turn on the oven.
- Great Party or Potluck Dish: American flag dip is perfect for summer gatherings!
- Patriotic for the 4th of July: You can’t serve anything more patriotic than an American flag made of taco dip!
- No Beans: It’s hard to find a dip that doesn’t include refried beans until now! We don’t like beans in our house so if you’re just like us you’ll love this recipe.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Note: Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post for the full written recipe.
Ingredients to Cook the Beef
- Ground beef: Adds a delicious flavor to this dip
- Chili powder: Make sure this is salt-free
- Salt: I like to use sea salt
- Ground black pepper: Adds flavor the the meat
- Garlic powder: Gives the beef more flavor.
- Onion powder: Makes the beef extra savory.
- Cumin: Adds more taco flavor.
- Onion: I like to use a yellow onion.
Salsa Ingredients
- Diced tomatoes: I always get organic.
- Jalapeño: Adds flavor but not enough to make it spicy.
- Onion: Adds a fresh flavor.
- Salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder: Adds flavor
Ingredients for the Dip
- Sour cream: Makes the perfect base for this dip.
- Shredded cheddar cheese: Mild cheddar is our favorite and I recommend grating a block at home.
- Milk: Adds a little liquid to thin out the dip just a bit.
- Chili powder: Adds the iconic taco flavor.
- Cumin: Brings that taco flavor to the next level.
- Garlic powder: Adds great flavor.
- Salt: I like to use sea salt.
- Ground black pepper: Adds flavor the the dip.
Toppings to Make the Flag Design
- Shredded lettuce: I like to use a head of iceberg lettuce that I chop at home.
- Blue corn tortilla chips: I try to get organic.
- Mozzarella cheese: Only use low moisture mozzarella to prevent a watery dip.
- Homemade salsa: Leftover from the salsa we made to add into the dip.
Helpful Kitchen Tools for this Recipe
This section contains Amazon affiliate links to items I use and love for this recipe.
- large Pyrex glass storage container (what I use to serve & store this dip)
- Cheese grater
- Mini star cookie cutter
How to Make American Flag Taco Dip
Note: Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post for the full written recipe.
How to Cook the Beef
Dice half of an onion into small pieces.
Add ground beef, diced onion, and seasonings to a skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes or until fully cooked.
Be sure to mash meat with a spoon to break it into small pieces as its cooks.
When beef is cooked, drain off excess grease and set cooked beef aside.
How to Make the Homemade Salsa
Add diced tomatoes, onion, and jalapeño to a blender or food processor.
Pulse until tomato and onion chunks are small (as small as you desire in salsa).
Pour half of the homemade salsa into a bowl. Save other half for later.
How to Make the Dip
Add cooked beef, sour cream, milk, shredded cheddar cheese, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the bowl you just poured salsa into.
Stir until all ingredients are fully combined. Pour the dip into a rectangle container (I use a medium to large sized Pyrex container).
How to Make the American Flag Design
Add a thin, even layer of shredded lettuce on top of the dip.
Crush up blue tortilla chips.
Create a small rectangle shape with them in the top left corner of the dip. About 2 inches by 3 inches.
Then, starting at the bottom of the dish, add a 1/2 inch thick stripe of salsa horizontally across the entire bottom to make the first stripe.
Right above the salsa stripe, add another stripe the same size but this time use shredded mozzarella cheese.
Repeat with stripes the same size alternating between salsa and mozzarella to make the American flag.
When you get to the blue tortilla chips, in the corner, start at the chips. This means those stripes will be shorter than the other container long ones just like on a real flag.
Once you’ve finished the stripes, use a small star shaped cookie cutter or a knife to cut stars out of mozzarella cheese slices. Do as many as you can fit or would like.
Add stars on top of the square of crushed tortilla chips.
Serve right away or store in the fridge for 2-3 days. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
Video Tutorial
Best Ways to Serve this Red, White, Blue Dip
My favorite way to serve this American flag taco dip is cold straight out of the fridge with tortilla chips! To make it extra, festive, I like to serve it with blue corn tortilla chips.
This dip is perfect for the 4th of July, whether you’re throwing a party or celebrating Independence Day at home in your pjs.
It’s also a great dip for Memorial Day, Labor Day, and any summer day in between! You really can’t go wrong with this dip, especially when the weather is hot.
How to Store Leftover Taco Dip
You will want to store this dip, covered, in the fridge up to 3 days. I prefer to make it in a glass Pyrex container so I can easily pop on a lid when I’m ready to store it away. The glass container also keeps the flavor fresh!
Tips to Make this Recipe Ahead
This is one of those American flag appetizers you can fully prepare ahead of time the night before! Dare I say it tastes even better the next day?! Just whip up the dip and place it in the fridge, covered, until you’re ready to enjoy it.
FAQs
My American flag dip is not layered like the 4th of July 7 layer dip. This is really the only difference and the type of ingredients used in the dip.
You sure can. Just substitute the store-bought salsa for the homemade.
Not with my experience. After 24 hours it’s still got a good crunch, although a little more soggy, and it’s still green. After 3 days it will begin to go bad.
A great substitute for the sour cream in this dip would be cottage cheese! Simply place it in a blender and blend until smooth. Use the same amount of blended cottage cheese as sour cream. This adds extra protein to the dish as well!
More 4th of July Recipes to Try
If you’re looking for more patriotic 4th of July food, try a few of these recipes here on Plum Branch Home:
- Grilled Chicken Bites with Creamy Garlic Sauce
- BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizza (Grilled or Baked)
- Mini Sourdough Fruit Pizza (with sourdough sugar cookie crust)
- Watermelon Lemonade
- The Best Southern Peach Sweet Tea
- Oven-Baked Buttermilk Fried Chicken Tenders
If you made this recipe, give it a 5-star rating below and share a photo on your social media stories! Be sure to tag @plumbranchhome
Recipe
American Flag Taco Dip (Made From Scratch)
Ingredients
Beef
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder (salt free)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (salt-free)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/2 of an onion
Salsa
- 16 oz. can of diced tomatoes
- 1/4 of a jalapeño (diced or shredded)(remove seeds)
- 1/4 of an onion (finely diced)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
The Dip
- 1 cups sour cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 Tbsp milk
- 3/4 tsp chili powder (salt-free)
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder (salt-free)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Toppings – Flag Design
- 1/2 to 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 1/3 cup blue corn tortilla chips
- 1 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
- Half of the homemade salsa (about 1.5 cups)
Instructions
Cook the Beef
- Dice half of an onion into small pieces.
- Add ground beef, diced onion, and seasonings to a skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes or until fully cooked.
- Be sure to mash meat with a spoon to break it into small pieces as its cooks.
- When beef is cooked, drain off excess grease and set cooked beef aside.
Make the Homemade Salsa
- Add diced tomatoes, onion, and jalapeño to a blender or food processor.
- Pulse until tomato and onion chunks are small (as small as you desire in salsa).
- Pour half of the homemade salsa into a bowl. Save other half for later.
Make the Dip
- Add cooked beef, sour cream, milk, shredded cheddar cheese, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the bowl you just poured salsa into.
- Stir until all ingredients are fully combined. Pour the dip into a rectangle container (I use a medium to large sized Pyrex container).
Make the American Flag Design
- Add a thin, even layer of shredded lettuce on top of the dip.
- Next crush up blue tortilla chips and create a small rectangle shape with them in the top left corner of the dip. About 2 inches by 3 inches.
- Then, starting at the bottom of the dish, add a 1/2 inch thick stripe of salsa horizontally across the entire bottom to make the first stripe.
- Right above the salsa stripe, add another stripe the same size but this time use shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat with stripes the same size alternating between salsa and mozzarella to make the American flag.
- When you get to the blue tortilla chips, in the corner, start at the chips. This means those stripes will be shorter than the other container long ones just like on a real flag.
- Once you’ve finished the stripes, use a small star shaped cookie cutter or a knife to cut stars out of mozzarella cheese slices. Do as many as you can fit or would like.
- Add stars on top of the square of crushed tortilla chips.
- Serve right away or store in the fridge for 2-3 days. It has the best flavor when refrigerated for an hour or the next day. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
Video
So cute and sounds like a great meal on a hot day!
Thank you so much!
So festive + cute! It sounds delicious too.
Thank you so much!
Awesome recipe it’s very delicious and cute for the holidays!! Great recipe for any time!
Thank you so much!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this dip!!